Teen on cusp of U.S. Amateur history

PINEHURST, N.C. -- After a week full of autographs and adulation, Danny Lee is starting to feel like Tiger Woods at the U.S. Amateur.

One more victory, and he'll surpass him.

Lee moved to the brink of supplanting Woods as the youngest champion in Amateur history on Saturday by defeating Patrick Reed 3 and 2 in one semifinal.

If Lee -- who is 18 years, 1 month old -- beats Florida State sophomore Drew Kittleson in today's 36-hole final, he would be six months and 29 days younger than Woods was when he won his first Amateur in 1994.

"I'm just having a really, really good week," Lee said. "Everything I hit, everything I putt just falls in the hole."

By advancing to the finals, Lee and Kittleson earned exemptions into next year's U.S. Open and probable invitations to the Masters, as long as they remain amateurs.

"There is no way I'm going to turn pro," Lee said.

For the past week, all eyes have been on Lee. The world's top-ranked amateur and closest thing this event has to a celebrity will play competitive golf for the 11th consecutive day.

The medalist and match play winner at the Western Amateur tuned up for the Amateur last week by debuting on the PGA Tour, making the cut and tying for 20th at the Wyndham Championship across the state in Greensboro.

Though making light of his fatigue all week -- and tweaking his left shoulder while warming up for the quarterfinals -- the New Zealander has been nothing short of dominant at the renowned No. 2 course at Pinehurst.

He has trailed for only one hole in five match-play rounds, and until Saturday, never needed more than 15 holes to finish off his opponent.

Lee closed out the Georgia freshman with a par on the par-4 16th -- a hole he hadn't needed to play since the second round of stroke play four days earlier.

"He was always putting pressure on me," Lee said.

Lee placed his second shot 40 feet from the pin, left his putt 1 foot short and walked off with a gimme. Reed ran into trouble on his second shot, landing it on the back left edge of the fringe, inches from the sand. He had one foot in the hazard and one on the grass when he attempted his putt, which went left and rolled nearly 10 feet past the hole.

Reed's last-chance putt for par looked on line, but broke left late to seal Lee's victory.

"I knew I had to make par, so I just thought that (the odd stance) would have been the best option for me actually making par," Reed said. "I just didn't make the 6-footer coming back."

The other semifinal also was decided on the 16th.

Other tournaments

The Barclays at Paramus, N.J.: Steve Stricker lost a ball and a big lead at Ridgewood Country Club, leaving Kevin Streelman atop the leaderboard and more than two dozen players in The Barclays title chase.

Safeway Classic at Portland, Ore.: Helen Alfredsson shot a 67 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Safeway Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

Alfredsson matched her first round of 67 for a 10-under 134, one stroke ahead of Sophie Gustafson, who shot 68.

Boeing Classic at Snoqualmie, Wash.: Scott Simpson matched the lowest round of the tournament with a 6-under 66 on Saturday and holds a two-shot lead entering the final round of the Boeing Classic.

KLM Open at Zandvoort, Netherlands: Ryder Cup contender Darren Clarke shot a 4-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead over Henrik Stenson at the KLM Open.